Monday, March 25, 2013

Three Minutes Waiting for Spring

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day March 31 (put “Norman Beat the Easter Bunny in an Arm Wrestling Match” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about……extinction.

Schae D. Lane

When I was in the 6th grade, our teacher gave the class an art assignment. We were to draw an insect. Not one we have seen before, not one from around our area. Her instructions were to imagine it and then draw it, color it and name it.

I imagined my insect was a large flying one, at least 18 inches long, with a wing span of over two feet. The color of the double pair of wings, one slightly larger and rounder than the other, was iridescent with darker hues of blues, pinks, and purples along their edges. The three sections of the exoskeleton, head, thorax and abdomen, were enlarged and in varying shades of rich purples and dark greens. My insect’s eyes were large, oval and black. The antennae were fuchsia and stood up straight on top the head. Of course all insects have the standard issue of six legs, and the legs on my creation were yellow, short and slender, and had a dusting of fine brown hairs. I quickly got to work, trying my best to convey my mental image of the majestic insect to paper.

When the class finished the project, our teacher told us that our insect most definitely exists or existed. Insects make up the largest group of animals on Earth and new species are being discovered every year. I believe my insect lived millions of years ago, searching for food, avoiding being eaten, darting quickly around large plant life and flying high above dinosaurs.

I remember that I named it. I believe it was a clever name, at least clever for a 6th grader. Sadly, both the name and picture have been lost.

Review Policy

Unless otherwise noted, the books recommended on Bigfoot Reads are either checked out of a public library by one of the cryptids or purchased by Bigfoot.

The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.

Bigfoot Reads has a strict policy against recommending any book in which a dog dies.